A new card shop is opening its doors on Centennial Boulevard this weekend, giving Nashville-area collectors a dedicated spot to buy, sell, trade and grade their sports cards. Replay Sports Cards will open its first Nashville-area location on Saturday, October 24, marking the company's sixth card shop overall. The new store sits at 5300 Centennial Blvd., Suite 202.
The shop is owned by longtime collector and entrepreneur Richard “RJ” Cardente, who has collected sports cards for more than 20 years and brings a professional background in finance and project management, according to PR Newswire. Cardente signed a franchise agreement with Replay to bring the brand to Music City, following an announcement detailed on the company's own blog. “I want to build a welcoming place for collectors, families and children, and make a positive impact in Nashville,” Cardente said, per the release.
Replay Sports Cards bills itself as America's first national franchise dedicated exclusively to the sports card hobby, offering buying, selling, trading and grading services for collectors of all ages and experience levels. The company was originally founded as One Stop Sports before rebranding. Co-founder Brent Schepel said Cardente's two decades in the hobby made him the right fit for the market. “Nashville is a great market for the hobby, and RJ brings the passion and community-minded approach,” Schepel said.
Trade Nights and Youth Outreach Planned
The Nashville shop plans to host local events and trade nights aimed at introducing more families and young collectors to the hobby, the release states. Cardente has also said he plans to support Replay Gives Back, the brand's charitable initiative focused on underserved youth. That program has donated more than 3 million cards to youth organizations nationwide, according to the same announcement.
Co-founder Mike Martin said Cardente embodies what the company looks for in a franchise partner. “He embodies everything we look for in a franchisee,” Martin said, adding that Cardente wants to make a difference in his community. Mike Weinberger, Replay's co-founder and president of franchising, said opening a new location grows the broader Replay community. “Opening a location grows the Replay community, and local shops bring people together,” Weinberger said.
Part of a Fast-Growing Hobby Market
The Nashville opening comes as Replay expands its national franchise network by partnering with community-focused owners, pairing in-store buying, selling, trading and grading with online sales and livestream commerce. The company conducts weekly livestreams on Whatnot and TikTok and maintains what it describes as a strong presence at major card shows nationwide, as noted by PR Newswire. The brand's franchise model, as described in a wboc.com report earlier this year, combines physical retail, card-show participation, online sales and multiple weekly livestreams. That report put Replay's footprint at four shops across the U.S. as of April, while an earlier company blog post from January described the brand as having three shops — a discrepancy the available record does not resolve.
The push into live-selling commerce reflects a broader shift in how collectors buy and sell cards. U.S. social commerce grew an estimated 21.5 percent year over year to more than $87 billion in 2025, according to The Athletic. Whatnot alone reported more than $8 billion in gross merchandise value and more than 20 million created accounts in 2025, the same report noted. Replay's own franchise page describes the company as drafting a strategy for national expansion aimed at entrepreneurs and local shop owners.
Nashville's hobby scene has been active on other fronts too. Trading Card Con has marketed a regional event in the city, according to tradingcardcon.com, and collectors elsewhere in the state have seen new shops open as well — Knox News reported that Sports Treasures brought a new collectibles shop to Farragut earlier this year. For now, though, the spotlight is on Centennial Boulevard, where Replay is betting that a blend of modern retail and a community-first approach will turn Saturday's opening into a long-term fixture for local collectors.
